Watering Tips
- The best time to water is in the early morning. The temperatures are cooler causing less evaporation. There is less wind in the morning hours so you will have less drift in neighboring areas. Set the timer so the entire lawn is watered before you have your morning coffee.
- Consult your local horticultural extension office for consultation concerning the optimum water application for your soil and turf types.
- Frequent watering causes the turf to have a shallow root system. Instead water no more than 2 times per week, soaking the soil. You will have to experiment to determine the run times for your irrigation system. The goal is to place a minimum of 1 inch of water on the turf every week. Since soil types and irrigation system application rates vary you will need to run a simple test. Place several empty cans on the lawn. Run the irrigation system until the cans reaches 1 inch of water or water puddles and/or run off occurs. The time it takes for the can to reach 1 inch of water when there is no run off or puddles is the optimum zone run time. If puddles or run off occurs before the can fills to 1 inch then the zone run time will need to be set at the time if took for the run off / puddles to form. The zone will need to rest until the water has time to soak in then restart the zone. Repeat until 1 inch of water is applied.
- You can determine if your lawn is not getting enough water by sticking a screwdriver into the soil. If it is difficult to push into the soil then the soil is to dry.
- Tall grass helps hold the moisture in by shading the soil and slowing evaporation. Set your mover height to the highest settings suitable for your turf type. Fescue commonly found in the south is healthiest at 2.5 to 4 inches high.
Mowing Tips
- Set the mower height to the type grass in your yard. Here in the south tall fescue is the most common type of turf grass and should be cut to 2 ½ to 4 inches in height. The tall blades promote deep root growth and slow evaporation by shading the soil.
- Keep your lawn mower’s blade sharp. A dull blade tears the grass leaf instead of cutting in. Torn grass blades detract from the beauty of the lawn and weaken the plants resistance to diseases.
- The frequency of mowing is dependant on the growing season. During peak growth the lawn may need mowing every three to four days. In off peak the same lawn may only need mowing every two weeks. The deciding factor is the height of the grass. You should mow when the grass reaches 1 ½ times the cut height. This will remove 1/3 of the blade of grass while mowing which will help you maintain a healthy root system.
- Mow when the grass is dry. Damp grass clogs the mower and gathers in clumps on the ground. These clumps will choke out the healthy grass.
- Mow in alternating directions. Mow in your normal cutting direction on odd weeks and mow at a 90-degree pattern on the even weeks. Cutting in the same pattern week after week leaves grooves in the grass where the mower damages the grass. Alternating patterns allow the grass to recover after being trampled down.
- Leave the clipping on the turf. If you are mowing regularly and not cutting off more than 1/3 of the grass blade you should leave the clipping on the turf. The cut section will decompose and return nutrients to the ground and help keep the grass greener longer.
- Remove all fuel from the mower by running
the mower out of gas before storing for the winter. Gasoline deteriorates
rather quickly. It leaves a varnish like substance that can clog the
inner parts of the mower’s carburetor. When the cutting season
rolls back around start out with fresh fuel from the gas station.
An alternative to removing fuel from the mower is to add a fuel stabilizer
to the fuel tank before storage.
